Finding affordable Joliet car insurance on the web may be challenging for consumers not familiar with comparing rates online. Since there are so many online companies available, how can consumers have a chance to compare the different rates to find the lowest price available?
Car Insurance Comparison Rates in Joliet
There are a variety of methods to shop for car insurance, but there is one way that is less labor-intensive and much quicker. You could spend the better part of a day discussing policy coverages with local insurance agents in Joliet, or you could save time and use online quotes to achieve your goal.
Most major companies participate in an industry program where prospective buyers complete one form, and each company then returns a price quote for coverage. This prevents consumers from doing form submissions for every car insurance company. To get comparison pricing now click here (opens in new window).
The one disadvantage to pricing coverage this way is you are unable to specify which carriers to receive prices from. So if you prefer to choose individual companies to request quotes from, we put together a list of car insurance companies in Illinois. Click here to view list.
It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but make darn sure you compare the exact same coverage information for every company. If you enter unequal deductibles or liability limits it will be impossible to find the best deal in Joliet. Quoting even small variations in coverage limits can make a big difference in price. And when quoting car insurance, remember that comparing more company’s prices helps you find the best offered rates.
Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss
Car insurance is not cheap, buy you may qualify for discounts to help bring down the price. Most are applied when you complete an application, but lesser-known reductions have to be specifically requested before you will receive the discount.
- Discount for Swiching Early – Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiring. The savings is around 10%.
- No Accidents – Claim-free drivers pay less as compared to drivers who are more careless.
- Save over 55 – If you’re over the age of 55, you may be able to get better car insurance rates.
- Safe Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than their less cautious counterparts.
- Good Student Discount – This discount can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.
- Theft Prevention System – Anti-theft and alarm systems can help prevent theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
Keep in mind that most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. So when the math indicates you can get free auto insurance, you’re out of luck. But all discounts will bring down the cost of coverage.
To see a list of insurers with the best car insurance discounts in Illinois, click here to view.
Rate influencing factors
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that go into determining the price you pay for car insurance. Understanding what determines base rates enables informed choices that may reward you with big savings.
Listed below are a partial list of the pieces car insurance companies consider when setting rates.
- Frequent car insurance claims increase rates – Insurance companies in Illinois provide lower rates to drivers who do not file claims often. If you frequently file small claims, you can pretty much guarantee higher rates. Auto insurance is designed for the bigger claims that can’t be paid out-of-pocket.
- Safer cars are cheaper to insure – Vehicles with good safety scores tend to have better insurance rates. These vehicles have better occupant injury protection and fewer injuries means less money paid by your insurance company and more competitive rates for policyholders.
- Being married can save on car insurance – Having a spouse helps lower the price on car insurance. It is viewed as being more mature than a single person and it’s statistically proven that being married results in fewer claims.
- Special features that cut premiums – Driving a car with a theft deterrent system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention features like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system all hinder your vehicle from being stolen.
A tidy conclusion
Cheap car insurance can be sourced on the web and with local Joliet insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance providers do not offer the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.
As you prepare to switch companies, it’s a bad idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many instances, an accident victim reduced full coverage only to regret at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your goal should be to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.
We just presented some good ideas how you can shop for car insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Consumers could even find that the lowest priced car insurance comes from an unexpected company.
More Illinois car insurance resources
Much more information about car insurance in Illinois is available on the Illinois Department of Insurance website. Click here for link. Illinois consumers can find disaster information, find a variety of consumer forms, find out industry alerts, and read consumer alerts.